Advancement

The funeral procession stopped at the cemetery entrance, and a group of people began to get out of the cars. Miao Xin slowly drove past them.

Su Ming suddenly spotted a familiar figure in his field of vision.

[An acquaintance?] Miao Xin noticed and stopped the car.

"No, they are my friend's parents," Su Ming replied.

"Is your friend male or female?" Miao Xin asked directly, focusing on the crucial question.

[Female.] Su Ming replied, [Is it not allowed?]

Si Ran, a few years older than him, was someone his mother met while square dancing. After Su Ming was admitted to university...

The two mothers discovered that their children were attending school in the same city.

Thus, the two began traveling together by train, shuttling between home and school. They helped each other out when they encountered problems, and their contact gradually increased. After Su Ming graduated, he went to work in another city, Si Ran also became increasingly busy, so their contact faded afterward.

This is also Si Ran's hometown, so it's normal to see her parents attending the funeral.

Just as Su Ming was about to ask Miao Xin to leave, he saw a familiar face in the photo on the urn.

He was immediately stunned.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The first to notice his change in mood was Qiluo, who was hanging from the ceiling of the carriage.

Su Ming covered his eyes with one hand and shook his head. "It's just that a friend passed away."

Zijin wanted to speak, but after thinking about it, she said nothing. She had experienced too many things like this in her 170 years of life, and some things she could only learn to sort out on her own.

It's okay if you can't learn it yet; just try a few more times, and you'll get used to it.

Su Ming got up and left the workshop, going to the locomotive driver's cab at the front of the train. The sound of engines kept echoing.

Steam and smoke billowed into the sky. As he watched the snowscape come and go, his mood grew increasingly heavy.

Life is unpredictable; some people always feel they can meet again, but reality can suddenly deliver a final farewell.

He sat quietly for a while, then stretched out his hand, only to find that the rune sequence that had been blocking him before had already condensed into shape at his fingertips. Su Ming, but he quickly understood the reason and let out a wry smile.

The "Deathly Word" series of spells cannot be used when you are in a good mood, and it is clear that the lower your mood, the smoother they are to cast.

Its creator must have been an incredibly pessimistic guy!

****

Su Ming didn't go to the workshop the next day; he stayed in the driver's seat the whole time. Zijin went to check on him and found him just staring blankly out the window.

"I'm fine," Su Ming said calmly. "I was just practicing a spell."

Qiluo also came over to check on him. "Mental stability, no abnormalities." She turned to leave, "My mission is complete!"

Zijin grabbed her ponytail and pulled her back. "Anything else?"

The little girl immediately turned around, bowed deeply to the two of them, and said, "I'm so, so sorry about what happened the night before last!"

Su Ming nodded in acceptance of her apology, then continued looking out the window.

Qiluo then left. Zijin hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up, "Su Ming, I feel there are some things I need to clarify with you."

Su Ming turned back around.

"Qiluo is the daughter of the Millennium Queen, a powerful Moon Prayer," Zijin said. "I couldn't withstand the erotic magic she unleashed when I was unprepared."

Qiluo's Ghostly Flower, the millennium-old unicorn queen and mistress of the Crescent Forest. Qiluomilan has never hidden her surname.

Therefore, her background is clear.

"Not entirely. Mental defense is your weakness," Su Ming pointed out directly. He remembered the details of last night very clearly. He could barely resist the unicorn's magic, but Zijin was completely overwhelmed.

The scholar fell silent for a moment. Born into the dragon race, and a former saintess of the Temple of Light who cultivated her mind, her mental defenses should have been her strongest point. It was hard to imagine that Zijin had such a weakness, which was why she had never been targeted on the battlefield.

This is the first time it has been exposed.

"First of all, what happened must not be known to Qiluo." Zijin held up one finger.

The unicorn had always thought she was punished simply because she "tried" to seduce the two, not because she succeeded. Su Ming responded with an understanding gesture.

"Also, I hope you don't misunderstand," Zijin held up a second finger. "I mean, our relationship."

Su Ming understood, "You have no feelings for me other than friendship; your actions at the time were entirely due to being controlled by Qiluo's magic."

"That's right," Zijin replied. "I see myself more as a dragon than a human."

The time Zijin lived in the form of Ailisha was only a small part of her life, Su Ming had noticed many details about her that were incompatible with humans.

He responded with another acknowledgment.

The scholar finished speaking and left. Su Ming closed his eyes and sighed mournfully.

The runes that appeared around him solidified, eventually forming a magic orb emanating a negative aura, which floated quietly in the air.

"Deathly Word, Grey Thoughts Exhaust the Heart"

Su Ming was at a loss for words. Was he being forced to accept magic spells?

****

On the third day at noon, the Youth Civilization stopped again. Although the train was in good condition, a steep waterfall would appear in the river ahead. According to Su Ming's planned route, they would leave the river, find an area with a gentler slope, cross the Lower Ridge Mountains ahead, and step onto the first step of the ice field.

Therefore, it is necessary to stop the car in advance for preparation.

The weather was sunny today, and the midday temperature rose to below -10 degrees Celsius, which was perfect for outdoor work. Su Ming handed over the maintenance work to others, changed into his outdoor gear, and pushed the snowmobile out of the warehouse.

"Su Ming, take me with you!" Qiluo exclaimed excitedly. She knew what Su Ming was going to do. According to the information she obtained from interrogating those people's souls that day, the traffickers' supplier was in Lisi City. The girls who had been kidnapped were originally going to be sent there.

The Lisi City is less than 40 kilometers from this parking and maintenance point; it's just a short drive to the left along the road. Su Ming had taken this into account when choosing the location.

She quickly noticed that Su Ming was more silent than usual. "Handsome, you're in a bad mood today. Perfect timing, let's go chop up a few scumbags."

Zijin approached and objected, "You were in great danger in Shafeng'er Town last time. This time, Lisi City is a larger city, and its defenses are a level higher!"

"I will act according to the circumstances," Su Ming replied.

"If your identity as a necromancer is exposed, it will be very troublesome!"

Su Ming thought about it and realized that Zijin's words made sense. The Forbidden Magic Cloak was enough to hide from ordinary people, but after all, there were experts like Yise nearby.

He removed his cloak and coat, and gestured to the scholar in a challenging gesture, "Help me use up my Magic Power."

Judging from the results of the trial in Shafeng'er Town, lowering one's own Magic Power level solves the problem.

Seeing that he was determined, Zijin stopped trying to stop him. She unbuttoned her winter coat, saying, "Don't let me hurt you."

"Give it a try."

The two walked across the ice towards the snow-covered riverbank, where a small pine forest lay, its needles glistening with ice crystals in the sunlight. They stretched their limbs as they walked, then, as was their custom, launched surprise attacks on each other.

Su Ming immediately unleashed Thorn Long Whip, while Zijin simultaneously summoned a magical blade, and the two separated after a brief clash. However, the scholar quickly realized the problem—she had seriously miscalculated Su Ming's whip.

Previous combat training had been confined to cramped ship cabins or train carriages, severely limiting Su Ming's use of his whip. Now, in open space, his weapon's advantage was immediately put to full use. The whip, like a nimble snake, attacked from all angles, interrupting any spells that Zijin took a while to prepare.

Although not known for its lethality, the Thorn Whip is still a Saint Rank weapon. Moreover, the white bone whip blends perfectly into the snowy background, making it even more difficult to deal with. Su Ming's many days of spinning tops have not been in vain. He doesn't need to calculate the details of Zijin's response; he can just treat it as a spinning top.

The scholar decisively retreated to create distance, Su Ming followed without hesitation using Shadow Jump to maintain a suitable distance from his whip. The traces of the Shadow Spider Silk he released were now very faint, making it difficult to spot even with the naked eye in the snow.

Zijin frowned slightly. Su Ming's fighting style today was completely different from usual. She was too overconfident, not even using her staff. She feinted, pretending to release an Ice Rain spell, preparing to draw the Bone Staff of the End to unseal it.

But Su Ming charged headlong into her spell without hesitation, only to find that the icy rain, though seemingly harmless, couldn't break through Su Ming shield.

Instead, he pressed himself against her.

"Elemental Fade Deathly Word Elements"

As expected, Su Ming immediately dispelled the magic shield. Zijin suppressed the impulse to Magic Power beyond Su Ming's power, and several rock pillars surged from beneath her feet, separating her from Su Ming.

The "Deathly Word" series was indeed very targeted; with just one exchange, the magic shield on Zijin's body was significantly contaminated, losing half of its strength.

She drew her bone staff, her eyes darkening as inscriptions flashed in them, revealing a deeper understanding of the vast battlefield. She then discovered that Su Ming had already used the Shadow Jump directly above her, wielding his long whip and bringing it crashing down on her head.

This situation was somewhat passive, Zijin immediately deployed multiple force fields to block Su Ming's whip. However, the two had already approached the pine forest during their fight, and the tip of Su Ming's whip grazed a tree branch.

Su Ming quickly pulled, and the whip rippled through the gap in the force field, coiling around her wrist like a serpent. The uncontrollable nature of soft weapons can sometimes be troublesome, and sometimes a pleasant surprise!

"Sorry, it was pure luck!" Su Ming said.

"Don't be so smug!" Zijin gathered her Magic Power and reinforced the shield.

She wasn't afraid of being entangled by thorns. Su Ming had only practiced the transmission spell for two days. Even if he were exceptionally talented and truly mastered it, the Deathly Word Art series of magic was so complex that he didn't have enough time to grasp it.

Of course, it's possible he can already transmit one of them. So, what will be transmitted is "Elemental Fade" to break the magic shield, "Arcane Collapse" to destroy the barrier, or "Wondrous Item Disjunction" to decompose items? Zijin wondered.

Zijin broke free of the Thorn Long Whip in just half a second, but she never expected that Su Ming would complete the spell in such a short time. A series of extremely complex runic spells spread like lightning along the whip, clinging to her body and penetrating her in an instant!

A moment of darkness followed, then she regained her senses. The magic shield was still there, the staff was working properly, and the six-colored barrier, her trump card, was also fine. Zijin quickly completed the inspection; so what was wrong?

The surroundings became hazy, sounds faded into the distance, vision dimmed, and even the sunlight seemed weak and powerless.

Zijin was somewhat puzzled to find that Su Ming had already circled behind her—had she lost track of his movements?

She used her Fire Resistance Ring, but Su Ming ruthlessly interrupted her, knocking away the staff she had just drawn. Then she was pulled down from behind onto the snow, and watched as Su Ming punched her right in the ear.

His hair flew up. Su Ming unleashed all his power in that punch, exhausting his mana to the last 1200.

A vast expanse of Magic Power spread, turning the white snow into a somber gray.

Zijin was only wearing a thin sweater, lying on the snow. Splashes of snow landed on her cheeks, and she was stunned for a long time.

Su Ming let out a long sigh, propped himself up on his knees, and looked down at the girl, "Are you hurt?"

Zijin shook her head gently, her hair making a soft sound as it brushed against the snow. "No."

"Your eyes were originally light brown," Su Ming said.

The Zijin's eyes, which originally appeared blue, had lost their pale light. Sunlight easily penetrated them, revealing delicate layers. The outer edge was a light amber color, gradually turning into a warm brown inwards, with a barely visible moss green tinged around the pupil.

"Brown?" Zijin murmured to herself. Having maintained her Omniscient Vision for so long, she had almost forgotten about it.

The Deathly Word Art that Su Ming just cast is the most difficult one below the Saint Rank, "Grey Thoughts Exhaust the Heart." It is an extremely powerful dark debuff spell that can suppress the mind and perception of the target.

This was the foundation of Zijin's Omniscient Vision; the spell the girl had maintained all along was thus interrupted.

"Why did you think of targeting this?" Zijin asked softly.

"Because of Silent Vision," Su Ming explained. "Both of these skills are high-level, so I suspected your Omniscient Vision wasn't so simple—and sure enough, I guessed right! You rely on it to scout your surroundings during combat!"

Omniscient Vision is not merely visual perception, but a comprehensive understanding of all things around us. Zijin, through long practice...

Having become accustomed to operating the spells in daily life, the range of which can be controlled at will.

For a long time, Su Ming mistakenly thought it was a basic skill. It wasn't until he discovered the power of Silent Vision in actual combat that he realized Omniscient Vision was also a combat skill.

"You won," Zijin admitted.

Ever since Alchemist Howard helped imprint the Omniscience Rune into her eyes, she had become reliant on the spell, until it completely replaced her natural vision. When Su Ming's spell struck her and sealed her Omniscient Vision, for a moment she felt as if the whole world had turned its back on her.

Su Ming reached out to pull Zijin out of the snow. Upon being touched, she suddenly jerked as if electrocuted and pulled her hand away from Su Ming's grasp.

Su Ming looked at Zijin with confusion, "What's wrong?"

Just as he was about to crouch down to check on her, Zijin suddenly raised her hand. "I'm really fine, just let me lie down for a bit." Su Ming was puzzled but chose to respect her wishes. He put on his coat and returned to the train. The little girl was already sitting on the snowmobile, studying how to operate it. Su Ming looked back and saw Zijin still lying in the same spot. When she saw him turn around, she waved gently.

The snowmobile's front snow engine had been modified to support the unicorn's weight. Su Ming moved the unicorn to the passenger seat, got in himself, started the engine, and drove off.

****

Standing still, Zijin pressed her hands to her chest.

It wasn't a serious battle; she didn't unleash a level of Magic Power power or energy exceeding Su Ming's. Su Ming's final attack couldn't break through her defensive barrier, even though he wasn't just a fist manipulator, nor did he only unleash Magic Power through his fists.

But it still couldn't be broken.

From a tactical perspective, however, she was completely outmaneuvered. The weaknesses in her mental defenses and her over-reliance on Omniscient Vision were exploited by Su Ming.

This is not a problem. It's only natural for Su Ming to target her weaknesses. She frequently sparred with Su Ming, and given Su Ming's rate of progress, she would eventually suffer the consequences.

However, with her Omniscient Vision blocked, her physical senses became sharper. Su Ming, who was approaching from behind, did not choose to grab her chest or strangle her, but instead pressed down on her shoulders, reducing his strength to push her down. Having undergone strength training, he could do this with just his physical strength.

Su Ming's sleeve slid, revealing the bulging muscles in his arms. As he fell, she saw Su Ming's calm, dark eyes, reflecting a human girl with brown eyes and light brown hair lying on her back.

A peculiar feeling welled up inside her, but Zijin couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

The moment Su Ming grabbed her hand and tried to pull her up from the snow, she was surprised to feel the softness of their skin.

Humans possess sensitive and supple skin. Zijin believed the information came from her Omniscient Vision, but a large part of it actually originated from this human body. This had been concealed by magic, preventing her from realizing it.

The Zijin gazed at the sky, which remained azure despite the cold winter. But upon closer inspection, it was clear that there were clouds, merely like a thin veil, hidden in the boundless, clear expanse.

Several sparrows flew high overhead, and the girl noticed for the first time that their flight paths were actually wavy, rising and falling. The birds' wings undulated with the wind, delicately conserving every bit of energy from their small bodies.

Suppressed by Su Ming's magic, her spiritual senses were extremely dulled. Instead, Zijin relied on her original five senses to discover so many details she had never noticed before.

Zijin raised her hand, looking at her fair wrist with its veins showing, where the warmth from the touch still lingered. A faint scent of pine was carried on the wind, and the distant sound of cracking ice could be heard.

So, when did she begin to forget herself, to forget the original nature of this world?

What had been holding her back all along was something so simple?

Zijin suddenly chuckled. She remembered what she had said to Su Ming not long ago, "Acknowledging objective facts is also a form of enlightenment."

Zijin placed her raised hand on her right eye. A flash of light, and the inscription on her right eye was peeled away. It hurt a little, and even a few drops of blood flowed from the corner of her eye.

She no longer intended to rely entirely on magical vision, but rather to retain information from human natural senses. Spells were merely a means of exploration, and should not replace everything.

Hansite picked up the Zijin's coat and walked across the river, a series of invisible ripples suddenly spreading out.

The old man paused for a moment, then quietly blended into the surrounding nature.

"Put on your coat, Your Majesty Ailisha," Hansite said, walking over to Zijin. "Shall we have a celebratory meal tonight?"